Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Bill and agree with most of its provisions. Senators got the Bill in their post this morning and we are dealing with Second Stage today. More importantly, we are being asked to take Committee and Remaining Stages tomorrow. I do not understand why the Minister is seeking to rush the Bill through the House. I understand his desire to have it passed before the summer recess, but the Bill, for which we have called on many occasions, is so important that it deserves to be given more time and considered with due care and attention. It would have been better had more time been allocated to the various Stages. I hope it will not be rushed through the Dáil in the same fashion, although it probably will. It is a pity the Bill was not introduced long before now.

I hope this very important Bill will deliver what we need in this area. Alcohol abuse in this country has in recent years given rise to serious concern and many serious public order offences on the streets. In extreme cases these have resulted in death. We need to tackle the problem.

I agree with the Minister that many of these problems arise from the state of the economy. People have much more disposable income, especially the young, who work for their pocket money. None of this is handed up to their parents anymore; it is their disposable income and they are spending far too much of it on alcohol. I do not know if providing laws will change their attitudes, but it will be interesting to see whether any of these measures have the desired effect. I look forward to a review.